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Crete Escape: Gramvousa and Balos Boat Tour from Chania with Included Ticket
3.6
98 Ratings
Kissamos
Embark on a thrilling boat tour from Chania to Gramvousa and Balos. Explore the Venetian castle, swim in crystal-clear waters, and experience the beauty of the Balos lagoon.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Balos Lagoon - Balos Lagoon, with its stunningly clear waters, is regarded as one of the most breathtaking beaches globally and ranks among the top 10 beaches in Europe.
A fantastic destination you simply cannot miss and a must-see when visiting Chania. Join our team for a unique experience.
- Gramvousa Beach - Gramvousa Island, known for its famous pirate history, is a unique attraction throughout Greece. While there, it’s worth exploring the incredible pirate castle or swimming near the renowned cargo shipwreck located on the island’s shore.
During your visit, don’t forget to light a candle in the historic church of St. George, situated on the shore.
What's Included
- Luxury bus pick-up/drop-off from select Chania locations
- Boat tickets to Gramvousa and Balos included
- Pre-recorded instructions available on board
What's Not Included
- Municipality fee (1 euro for adults, free for children)
- Personal expenses, extra beverages or meals
- Gratitude/Tips
Additional Information
We will collect you from assorted locations in and around Chania, following which we will embark on a drive through West Crete, concluding at the port of Kissamos. Following a roughly one-hour journey, the boat will dock at the harbour of Gramvousa. The peak of this island houses a Venetian castle erected in the late 16th century atop an abrupt rock formation. You’ll have ample time to explore this terrain and savour a swim along its shore prior to boarding the boat that will ferry us to the equisite Balos lagoon. The combination of calm, radiant turquoise waters with raw scenic beauty is a seldom seen blend that fills this lagoon. Roughly at 16:30, we will return to the boat destined for the port of Kissamos, and ultimately travel by bus to return you to your initial pick up points.
- Remember to bring the following items: sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, camera, swimsuit and beach towel
- You are advised to bring appropriate shoes for the hike up to Gramvousa Castle
- Rubbish disposal as well as removing seashells from the beach is prohibited
- Environmental Fee of 1 euro is paid on the spot
- We would like to inform you that ships WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DISEMBARK CLIENTS at BALOS lagoon directly through the FLOATING PLATFORM and therefore the access and schedule are as follows: GRAMVOUSA: Mooring at the pier and staying for about 2 hours nd 30 minutes BALOS: Anchorage in the area of BALOS (500-600 m from the beach) for swimming (stay 1 hours and 30 minutes). The beach will be accessible by sea but the ship will not dock on a platform directly on Balos. Nominal capacity of the cruise ship shall be from 400-650 pax (vessel varying).
Location
Balos Lagoon
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.6
(98 Ratings)
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Karinabjerg
Jan 28, 2024
One of the most beautiful places in Crete and definitely worth a visit! - Have visited Gramvousa and Balos several times. A beautiful place, which I personally think is one of the most beautiful in Crete and the beach absolutely beats the typical Elafonnisos Beach which is totally overrun.
You can both sail to Balos and you can drive the long trip there. The drive is hard, dusty and long, but immensely beautiful. Few car rental companies allow their cars to drive out there - remember that. You park at the top, walk a long way over the mountain and voila - comes the view that beats EVERYTHING.
The sailing trip is super delicious and relaxing - but book in advance. Then you avoid a very long queue.
There are tourists on Balos and Gramvousa - but not unrestrained - precisely because it is a bit difficult to get to, and the ferry leaves after a few hours again, and then most of them are gone again. Gramvousa is very beautiful and you can only get there by boat. None of the places are good for people with walking difficulties - not even the sailing trip, as it is a hassle to get ashore.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maru19602015
Oct 6, 2023
The best beach 🇬🇷🫶 - Balos Tour was amazing. The company communicated via WhatsApp the pickup location. Bus ride to The port where you get into a huge ferry and navigate to Balos and Gramvousa. This tour is worth every penny. Whole day tour. Just do it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mnigro123
Aug 3, 2023
A day in paradise - We are from Brazil and have seen many beaches in the world - this is the most beautiful amazing beach EVER - water is so clear - it is like swimming in liquid glass! Have to go by boat - road is terrible - big boat is great - no need to spend a lot for private - no beach bar - bring your food from the boat restaurant
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krisztina
Sep 23, 2023
1 euro pp in cash to be paid - Logistics was easy, pick up point was communicated on time. Bus was clean with working AC. Bus takes you to the Kissamos Port and they hand out the ferry tickets on the way there. The only thing that wasn't mentioned in advance is the 1 euro tax fee per person that must be paid in cash. Make sure you have cash. There is an ATM on the way to the port in case you need to get cash.
Food on the ferry looks sad and a bit overpriced. I'd recommend visiting a bakery before getting on the bus in the morning.
The trip to Balos and Gramvousa is incredible.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Corissa_d
Aug 18, 2023
Too much money for too little time - The folks running the bus were nice but the listing is incorrect with times and details. We chose this tour over others as the times listed were longer but in reality, we spent less time at each location.
The boat was nice, though there were not enough seats for everyone (despite them saying on the bus that there were).
Itinerary given to us said Balos from 1150-245pm (1445). We didn’t step off the boat until 1220pm. Getting back on the boat, no one checked or scanned tickets so could see someone potentially being left behind.
Gramvousa was similar- we were supposed to have 1 hr 45 min but in reality had about 1-1 hr 15 min there.
The experience was pleasant but shorter than anticipated. Mainly disappointed because a boat day to beaches was what I wanted on the whole trip but felt the tour listing was inaccurate. For the price, would recommend catching a public bus from Chania to kissamos and buying your boat ticket there or consider hiring a private driver/boat for longer times at each location.
Review provided by Viator
Millemarz
Aug 6, 2023
Unmissable - The Balos Lagoon and the island of Gramvousa are two places that you absolutely must see if you come to Crete because the places are truly extraordinary (including the climb to the fort).
We tried to book this tour through the Tripadvisor app but the system always gave us problems, so I went directly to the tour operator's website which made me pay (15% less than Tripadvisor) and then told me that something was wrong gone wrong. After a quick exchange of emails initiated by me, they confirmed the reservation and off we went. Ah... when you read groups of up to 50 people, it is not clear that there will be about ten groups on the ship for a total of a few hundred people...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lilikl83
Oct 19, 2023
Disappointed with Gramvoussa, I won't go anymore. - A rocky hill with a small beach of coarse sand you cannot go into the sea because there are rocks all along the shore. Wasted time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Keri_s
Oct 7, 2023
Great tour if you like traveling on buses and ferries - Honestly, the posting for this trip is a bit misleading. Don't expect a smaller boat or provided meals. We spent twice as much time traveling to Balos and Gramvousa in the bus and ferry than we did at the beaches. We maybe got 1.5 hours in Balos at 40ish minutes in Gramvousa. The crowd on the ferry that you travel with is huge, and we went in October! It took 15-20 minutes just to disembark and lay down your towel. We were late getting back to Chania and the bus made a ridiculous amount of stops for pickup.
I know it's a but pricy, but it's much more worth it to rent a boat from Chania and just spend some time at Balos before the ferry comes in.
I would not recommend this tour to anyone. The beaches were nice though.
Review provided by Viator
Serena
Oct 31, 2023
Extremely Disappointing Experience - I had high hopes for this tour, but I'm deeply disappointed with the services provided. I was promised a hotel pick-up that never happened. Despite rushing to the Sensal Hotel 10 minutes before the supposed pick-up time and skipping breakfast, I was left stranded on the street for 40 minutes, with no sign of the bus. This level of unprofessionalism was unprecedented in my travel experience.
To make matters worse, my drop-off point for the return trip was completely wrong, and this is inexcusable. I even asked the driver before boarding the bus, but it seems he didn't understand English. As a result, I was the last to be dropped off at 19:40, leaving me tired, stressed, and thoroughly unhappy with the entire ordeal.
This experience has left a lasting negative impression, overshadowing any beauty I may have experienced on the island. I hope the tour company takes this feedback seriously and improves its services for future customers.
In addition to the numerous issues I encountered during this tour, it's worth noting that I reached out to the tour company, but no one bothered to reply or offer an apology. The complete lack of response and accountability for these failures only adds to the overall disappointment of this experience. It's truly disheartening when a company fails to address its customers' concerns and provide the necessary support.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Topismo
Sep 22, 2023
Tourist trap! - Tourist trap. Very long waiting times due to their disorganization, endless pauses and stops at small shops to extract money from tourists. Order of stops at places to visit reversed. Very ugly boat, a little bar with two people serving dozens and dozens of people, more than an hour to buy a bottle of water on board.
Above all, a tour purchased which included a stop at the little church of Hagia Sofia in the rock, which was completely missed due to traffic and then yet another replacement stop in a small village where you couldn't set foot due to the incredible number of buses. Stay away.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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